Strangers When We Meet
by MakoHeadrush
Summary: Sephiroth receives word from Lazard that he will no longer be working alone; two newly promoted Firsts from Banora will be joining him, and Sephiroth isn't sure what to expect. Basically my head-canon version of Genesis's first meeting with Sephiroth. Friendship with hints of flirting.


**Usual disclaimer: Don't own the characters, wish I did. Square Enix owns Final Fantasy, this is written for fun and not profit.**

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><p>"Lazard...you know I prefer to work alone," Sephiroth stated firmly and a bit gruffly. He'd just received the memo from the director of SOLDIER; informing him that two newly promoted Firsts were soon to be assigned to work alongside him.<p>

"You cannot be an army of one, Sephiroth," Lazard said calmly, leaning his elbows on his desk as he studied the unflappable general who was seated opposite him. "No matter what Hojo might be telling you," he added, smirking.

Sephiroth wrinkled his nose disagreeably at the mention of the Professor; he and Hojo had not seen eye-to-eye lately on much of anything, and things had nearly come to blows just the day before. Though it was the only life he ever knew - Shinra and SOLDIER - Sephiroth was beginning to tire of feeling so tethered and controlled. The older he grew, the more intensified were his feelings - of the desire for freedom.

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><p><em>"You want your freedom, boy?" Hojo's voice was derisively cruel through the mocking laughter. "You wouldn't even know what to do with yourself! This is the life you were made for, and it is the life<strong> I<strong> made for you. Don't act like such an ingrate, after all I've done for you." _

_"You can't tell me what to do all my life, I'm a grown man," Sephiroth snapped. "Who do you think you are…my father?"_

_It was then that Hojo fell strangely silent, turning his back on Sephiroth. "Just get out," the scientist muttered angrily. Sephiroth could see Hojo's shoulders shaking with rage, his bony hands gripping the stainless steel edges of the surgical table. "Get out!" he shouted, voice rising in anger. _

_Sephiroth left quickly, without another word. He sensed the entire atmosphere in the lab changing with his one remark, but he couldn't figure out why Hojo would react in such a fashion. All he knew of his parents was that his mother was named Jenova, and his father was unknown - so Hojo had told him when he was a young boy and wanting answers to those questions, just as any orphan boy might ask. _

_Unknown. That was how Sephiroth felt himself until moving up the ranks in SOLDIER; living an isolated existence as an orphaned ward of Shinra, spending most of his time with Hojo in his labs. There were others like Sephiroth - parentless, taken in under the auspices of President Shinra's hospitality, though of course in the end it was just another public relations ploy to make the president appear benevolent and altruistic. _

_Cissnei, who had been a childhood playmate on the rare occasions Sephiroth was allowed outside the labs, had matured into a tenacious young woman. The last Sephiroth had heard, Cissnei was training to be a Turk._

_He hadn't seen her since his fourteenth birthday, nor had he seen anyone else around his age since that time. Sephiroth had been thrust into his own training; on track to become the youngest First Class SOLDIER had yet to see. He derived satisfaction from proving himself fast enough and strong enough to be worthy of SOLDIER, yet he was mindful enough to keep his pride in check. It was an odd sort of modesty he possessed; Sephiroth felt no need to brag about being the best, because he simply **was**. And Shinra's PR department was all too eager to seize upon Sephiroth's impressive feats and military records, painting him as 'the new face of SOLDIER.' Fan clubs sprang up here and there after Sephiroth's initial victories in Wutai, and he'd been uncomfortable with the attention from the start._

_Sephiroth had never wanted to be in the public eye, not like this. He would wonder who in their right mind would actively seek such fame - it was awkward at best, intrusive at worst. But he bore it all with grace and indifference, chalking it up to yet another duty one must perform as part of Shinra's Elite SOLDIER program._

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><p>Sephiroth took the clipboard that Lazard offered him, and scanned the information on the forms attached to it. "Both from the same village?" Sephiroth inquired, surprised.<p>

"Yes, both Banorans," Lazard replied. "They'll be waiting for you in the training room, Sephiroth. Please do your best to get them acquainted with their duties; both have risen from Third to First quite rapidly, and deservedly so; the two of them are equally adept with sword fighting as well as materia. Genesis's skill with magic is quite unmatched, as a matter of fact."

"Oh, really?" Sephiroth said, smiling. "Well, I've not fought against him yet. Lazard - how is that I haven't worked with these two as yet? I recall seeing these names, but haven't met either one of them."

"You were busy fighting a certain little war in Wutai," Lazard reminded him, smiling. "Go to them now, get the introductions out of the way, and do give them a proper welcome to their new roles as Firsts."

"Will do," Sephiroth replied, giving Lazard a quick salute before taking his leave. "I will report back tomorrow for our usual meeting."

As Sephiroth walked down the deserted corridor toward the training room, his heels clicking against the tiled floor making the only discernable sound, he tried to quell the increasing feelings of annoyance. He hoped these new Firsts were as good as Lazard claimed they were; there would soon be a new mission to Wutai, and the last thing Sephiroth needed to worry about was whether or not the men in his squadron were up to par.

_If they've gotten this far in SOLDIER, then they must have some aptitude for battle_, Sephiroth reasoned to himself. He shrugged his shoulders and opened the door to the training room, blinking once at the auburn-haired young man who was inside, his head turned away from Sephiroth. That head turned sharply back around once he heard Sephiroth enter.

"I was expecting two of you," Sephiroth remarked, slowly walking over to the First. The initial expression of surprise and suspicion quickly gave way to a sardonic smirk.

"Well, if it isn't the great General Sephiroth," Genesis's voice dripped with amusement and sarcasm. "Pleasure to finally meet you. And Angeal is still being measured for his uniform; he'll be up here shortly. They didn't have anything in stock to fit Mister Muscles," the man said, grinning. "I am Genesis Rhapsodos," Genesis added smoothly, extending his hand and offering it to Sephiroth in a handshake. His eyes narrowed but did not leave Sephiroth's face; Genesis's gaze was locked with the general's.

"Welcome to my squadron, Genesis," Sephiroth replied. "And congratulations on attaining your rank as first. Lazard speaks highly of you and Angeal."

"Oh, does he?" Genesis said airily, laughing. "My fans speak highly of me as well. Of course, Angeal's following is a bit smaller; he doesn't care much for the limelight, I'm afraid."

"You have a fan club?" Sephiroth replied incredulously. His reaction of genuine surprise seemed to be the incorrect one, as Genesis now appeared to be insulted.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Genesis retorted. "Many of the Seconds and Firsts _do_ have fan clubs, you know. You're not the only one, though I'm sure your fan club is by far the _largest_." His eyes roved rudely over Sephiroth's well-cut figure, lingering just long enough for it to be considered impolite.

"Well, rather than stand here all day and compare the size of each other's..." Genesis smirked again, taking a few steps back. "...fan clubs...perhaps a little sparring is in order?" His eyes sparked full of mischief as he spoke. Sephiroth would soon learn that Genesis had a competitive streak about a mile wide, and an ego that nearly matched.

Sephiroth felt an unfamiliar heat rise to his cheeks; Genesis was so obviously teasing him and drawing him out, yet it was a different kind of taunting from the abject maliciousness he experienced at Hojo's hands. He couldn't help but return Genesis's smirk, and he too took a few steps back, his left hand reaching for the handle of masamune which had been carefully sheathed and hanging off his back.

Genesis's grin grew wider, his expression feral. "That's quite the weapon," he remarked with a bit of admiration. "I prefer my weapon to have a bit more girth as opposed to length, although yours does have merit I suppose."

Sephiroth coughed dryly. Was he imagining things, or were Genesis's words simply dripping with innuendo and double entendre? "Well, I haven't had any complaints," he returned, just as coyly. "Yet."

"I'm sure all your fans love it!" Genesis smirked, parrying and feinting as Sephiroth's elegant sword met and deflected his blows.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Sephiroth said calmly. "You keep mentioning fan clubs...to tell you the truth, Genesis - " he pushed forward as masamune clashed noisily against Genesis's rapier - "I don't pay them much mind. I prefer to stay _out_ of the spotlight."

Genesis laughed, rolling and ducking as he avoided Sephiroth's downward swipes of the blade. "Not I," he countered. "I handle my notoriety quite well. It's important to present a positive image to our public, you see," Genesis went on. "I'm sure President Shinra would appreciate such efforts."

Sephiroth snorted, shaking his head. "He has publicists for that sort of thing. That's not what I'm all about, Genesis...as you'll soon learn."

Genesis chuckled and shook his own head in disbelief. "Surely you must have women falling all over you everywhere you go?" he inquired. "If they're anything like _my_ fans," Genesis added. "They truly adore me."

Sephiroth grunted, swinging masamune up and around, clashing against rapier. "They do...throw themselves at me," he murmured, fending off Genesis's parries and thrusts with his weapon. "But I'm not really interested in that sort of thing," Sephiroth added flatly.

"Oh, indeed?" Genesis replied, arching an eyebrow. "Interesting. I would have thought you to be quite the ladies' man. I've had some women - and men - show up to my quarters uninvited...some have arrived naked, in fact, or in various stages of undress," he went on, laughing. "It's both flattering and a bit frightening, I suppose." He gave Sephiroth a strange look and took a few steps back, holding rapier sideways; Genesis ran his hand over the burnished metal edge and a curious glow took hold of the metal, as if charging it from within.

Sephiroth halted his attack to watch Genesis, spellbound. Genesis wore no armlet or bracer containing materia, nor did there seem to be any orbs inserted into his sword that Sephiroth could see. It was a common enough instance, using materia to supplement one's weapon. The average infantryman or SOLDIER - or any human, really - could not cast magic at all without utilizing materia. Sephiroth had never heard of anyone else being able to cast magic organically like this.

_Except for myself,_ Sephiroth mused, watching Genesis run slender fingers over the horizontal length of his blade, infusing it with what appeared to be a fire spell. A red aura surrounded the rapier, followed by an intensely bright white light. Some writing suddenly appeared on the metal; strange-looking characters, a few of which Sephiroth recognized as ancient Cetran hieroglyphics. He remembered reading some of Gast's texts - such detailed research the man had done into the now-extinct Cetran race.

Genesis knew he was being watched intently by Sephiroth, and reveled in it. He loved attention in general, and knowing now that he had Sephiroth's rapt attention captured made him smile a secret sort of smile. "No...in case you're wondering, I do not have any materia on me," Genesis finally remarked, lowering the tip of rapier downward once he removed his hand from the blade. He jerked the hilt of the sword, pointing it toward Sephiroth. A small flame shot out from the tip, aimed at the general's chest; Sephiroth quickly deflected it with his blade, sending the sparks skittering sideways.

"Impressive," Sephiroth murmured, and he meant it. "How do you come by your skill, Genesis?" he asked, realizing that if anyone asked the same question of himself, he wouldn't know how to answer it. _I've always been able to cast without materia, and Hojo told me I was the only one. Curious...very curious, indeed,_ Sephiroth mused.

The reply from Genesis echoed Sephiroth's thoughts about his own skill. "I don't remember when it started, really," Genesis replied with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. "Since I was quite small, I knew I could create magic - or draw it out, I suppose that's more accurate to say - without any assistive materia. My parents capitalized on this ability - which Angeal has as well, incidentally - and would have us cast water spells to keep the orchard well-watered." Genesis made a face at this and rolled his eyes.

"Of course, young boys with curious minds have better things to do with their time than to be free labor for greedy parents," Genesis went on, his tone laced with bitterness. "After I protested - vehemently - my parents finally agreed to let me concentrate on my studies, and they had an irrigation system installed." He laughed, again without mirth, but with much bitterness.

"Well, it's certainly good to be in Midgar, away from all that," Genesis quipped, smiling at Sephiroth.

"I find it interesting that we three have the same very unusual abilities," Sephiroth observed. "Don't you find that a bit of an odd coincidence, Genesis?"

"Life is full of happenstance that we categorize as coincidence," Genesis replied. "Because our minds need to make sense of the improbable."

"So...what are you saying?" Sephiroth pressed. "You find this coincidence to be a bit odd, as I do?"

"I don't believe it's a coincidence at all," Genesis said dryly. "There's a reason for it, and it's not just our Mako injections," he added. "If that were the case, then everyone in SOLDIER would have this talent. Perhaps I'll ask Hollander, next time I see him..."

"Hollander?" Sephiroth echoed, his curiosity fully piqued now. He knew who the man was, of course, though it was mostly via Hojo, who didn't have a high opinion of the man at all. Hojo became a bit of a braggart whenever the subject of Hollander came up, and he would boast to Sephiroth that he was the better scientist. "How do you know Hollander?" Not that Sephiroth actually _cared_ who the better of the two scientists was; he figured it was just some professional rivalry bordering on penis-envy that accounted for the animosity between the two.

"He's the one who gives Angeal and me our monthly protocol of injections," Genesis replied. "I'm not sure why Hojo doesn't see us for that - he normally handles those, doesn't he?"

"I suppose," Sephiroth replied. "Kunsel - he's a SOLDIER Third Class, you may remember him - and Zack Fair, and I know they both get their treatments from Hojo. I've run into them there on occasion – " The general paused, looking up as the door opened, and a burly, well-muscled and handsome man walked in, giving Genesis a slight wave of his hand. He was clad in generic gunmetal gray SOLDIER-issued sweat pants, a black tee-shirt that clung tightly to his muscular chest, and black combat boots.

"Angeal Hewley, reporting for duty, Sir." The man addressed Sephiroth respectfully, saluting him. Genesis took two steps forward and leaned on the handle of his sword, propped alongside him, smiling at Angeal.

"At ease, Hewley," Sephiroth replied, nodding as he took in the new arrival's appearance. "And welcome." Angeal was a solid wall of strength and muscle, and Sephiroth had no doubt the man could hold his own in hand-to-hand combat.

"About time you showed up, Angeal," Genesis remarked drolly. "The General and I were just getting to know one another," he added, giving Sephiroth a curious sideward glance.

"Indeed we have," Sephiroth replied, feeling himself finally relax a bit around the newcomers. There was something about Genesis that intrigued Sephiroth, though he couldn't put words to it just yet; and he was looking forward to getting to know Angeal as well.

Sephiroth gave both Angeal and Genesis a small smile before offering the challenge. "Before you two get too comfortable…let's head into the VR room, spar a bit. I'd like to learn more about both of your fighting styles," he explained.

Genesis laughed, he and Angeal following along as Sephiroth ushered them in.

"Thought you'd never ask," Genesis murmured breathily, eyes locked on Sephiroth's as he took his spot facing him, ready to spar.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! This is just a bunch of my little SephirothGenesis headcanons all mashed together. They are an interesting duo, whether paired romantically or not at all. **


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